Combined liquid dispenser and roll tissue holder



Feb. 17, 1970 E. C. EVANS COMBINEDMLIQUID DISPENSER AND ROLL TISSUEHOLDER F 11e..Feb. 19, 1968 "I I l United States Patent 3,495,571COMBINED LIQUID DISPENSER AND ROLL TISSUE HOLDER Ernest C. Evans,Appleton, Wis., assignor to Kimberly- Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis., acorporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 706,452 Int. Cl.B05b 13/02; B05c 5/00 US. Cl. 118-325 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A personal cleansing station for bathroom or other useconsisting of the combination of a liquid dispenser and a roll tissueholder in a common fixture for wall mounting. The tissue roll isdisposed below the lotion dispenser in a manner to catch and absorblotion which might drip from the dispensing nozzle.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to acombination liquid or lotion dispenser and roll tissue paper holderparticularly adapted for use in bathrooms to assist in personalcleansing after elimination of body wastes. While there are advantagesin having such a dispenser available for ordinary cleansing use, it isespecially advantageous for proctological use, or for use by personssulfering from anorectal disorders. In such cases, it is preferred thatthe lotion employed in the dispenser be medicated.

As is well known, a substantial portion of the adult population sufierfrom anorectal or perianal disorders in varying stages of severity.While such disorders can be corrected by medical or surgical treatment,recurrence is frequent unless the patient practices careful cleansinghabits.

In the absence of satisfactory cleansing materials in convenientdispensable form, the common practice is to recommend the use ofwater-moistened soft toilet tissue or cotton pads to wash the affectedarea. Conventional bathroom tissue without treatment of some sort, evenin water, or better still a means for pretreating tissues with Icleansing lotions or the like. Cleansing liquids and lotions are notordinarily within reach when required for such use and thus causeinconvenience which it would be desirable to avoid.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of this invention to provide adispensing unit which combines a lotion dispenser with a roll tissueholder and which is designed for wall mounting so that it may beconveniently positioned to meet the needs of the potential user.

Another object is to combine the lotion dispenser and tissue roll holderin a single unit in a manner to prevent excess lotion from dripping onunderlying surfaces.

Still another object is to provide embodiments of a combination lotiondispenser and roll tissue holder fixture which may be recessed in thewall in both new and old building construction, as well as beingadaptable to surface mounting.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent by reference to thefollowing detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of oneembodiment of a combined lotion dispenser and roll tissue holder forrecessed mounting in new construction.

Patented Feb. 17, 1970 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In theembodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the combined lotion dispenser andtissue holder comprises a sub- I stantially rectangular lotion supplytank 12 and an underlying tissue roll holder 13 integrally connected toeach other by flange 23. The upper wall 14 of the tank is pro vided witha removable screw cap 15, or the like, adapted for removal whenrefilling of the tank is required. Near the bottom edge of front wall 16of tank 12 there is provided a dispensing valve 17, having an activatingplunger 18 and a dispensing spout 19. The underlying tissue holdercomprises a pair of side brackets 20 which support between them aconventional, internally springbiased, telescoping spindle 21 on which aroll of tissue 22 is rotatably mounted. The length of the brackets withrelation to the dispensing spout 19 are such that a perpendicular linedropped from the center of spout 19 is at least tangent to the frontedge of spindle 21. Since a common failing of lotion dispensers is thatwhen lotion is dispensed from a valve, as at 17, the residual dropswhich remain on the spout 19 eventually fall away, and if provisions arenot made to provide a catch basin of some sort, will cause staining ofthe underlying counter, sink, or floor. With the spindle 21 and spout 19disposed as described above, any residual drops will fall onto thetissue remaining on roll 22 thus preventing the lotion from drippingonto the underlying surface, and therefore maintaining cleanliness whilepreventing unsightly markings on floors or other surfaces. In addition,any lotion which may drip from the spout will not be lost, since it willbe absorbed by the top tissue in the roll. The absorbed lotion then maybe utilized for cleansing purposes when that tissue is dispensed fromthe roll. While the preferred disposition of the spindle with respect tothe spout is with the front edge tangent thereto, it will readily beseen that if the spout is directly over the spindle or even to the rearof the spindle that the drip-catching feature will still be operable.

With the arrangement of the device, as shown and described herein, theoperator has several choices of how to use the cleansing lotion. He maydispense it directly onto the tissue as the latter is pulled from theroll; he may draw a number of sheets from the roll first, then fold themtogether and hold them under the valve for application of a selectedamount of lotion thereon; or he may dispense the lotion directly ontohis hand or fingers. The amount of lotion applied is also easilycontrolled by the user.

Tank 12 is preferably connected to the cooperating tissue holder 13 by amounting flange 23 which extends outwardly on all four sides as isconventional in most wall-mounted fixture constructions. The flangefunctions to conceal the rough cut-out in the wall and is also used formounting purposes in well-known ways, such as by screws or bycooperation with a previously installed wall box. I

In FIG. 2 the fixture is shown mounted in cavity 25 in wall 24, withflange 23 contacting the wall. The rear portion of the tank andsubstantially the entire roll holder are recessed in the wall. The rollholder may have a sup plementary contoured back wall as shown, or it maysimply be flat. The front portion of tank 12 protrudes outwardsufficiently from the wall to provide easy access to filler opening 11through which the supply of lotion may be replenished as needed. Tank12, valve 17, and toilet roll fixture 13 are of conventionalconstruction and are preferably made of stainless or chrome-platedsteel.

The advantages of the invention are achieved by the cooperativearrangement of the individual units, with the easy fill anddrip-catching features being especially important.

Any type of cleansing lotion may be used, but for proctological purposesit is preferred that the lotion be medicated with known materials whichbring comfort and relief. The lotion may be in'the form of a solution,emulsion, or foam.

The fixture is also useful for hand-cleaning or other purposes as wellas for personal hygiene uses.

In addition to the fully recessed model shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which isthe most convenient style for use in new building construction, thefixture may be modified for use in older buildings.

In FIG. 3 for example, there is shown a unit for surface mounting. Thefeatures are similar to those for the fully recessed mounting, having anupper tank 32 and a lower section comprising tissue holder 33. A flangeor simple eyelet extensions may be used for mounting.

The tank has a filler cap 35 and an associated opening in the top walland a dispensing valve 37 on the lower front wall. The valve 37 has anactivating plunger 38 and a dispensing spout 39.

The integral tissue holder section comprises a pair of sidewallsattached to tank 32 with extended spindle-holding brackets 40 sodisposed that spindle 41 has its front edge at least tangent to aperpendicular line dropped from spout 39. The tangential disposition ofthe spindle with respect to the spout provides the above-describedno-drip feature.

In FIG. 4 there is shown an arrangement for a modified recessed mountingwhich may be used to replace conventional recessed toilet tissuefixtures. In this arrangement, the rear portion of tank 42 is recessedwith respect to flange 53. The recessed portion is of a size thatconforms to the usual opening for a conventional recessed toilet paperholder. In conventional construction for the latter, the rough wallopening is usually A wide, 5 A high and 2% or more deep. The tankdimension should be suitably adapted to such size.

Tank 42 has a filler cap 45 and an associated opening in the top walland dispensing valve 47 on the front wall. The valve 47 has an actuatingplunger 48 and a dispensing spout 49 as in the previous arrangements.The integral tissue holder 43 comprises a pair of sidewalls attached totank 42 with extended spindle-holding brackets 50 so disposed thatspindle 51 has its outer edge at least is disposed behind the flange 53and is so disposed and of such size as to fit in a wall recess designedfor the conventional type recessed toilet tissue fixture which itreplaces. It will be seen that this arrangement makes a convenient anduseful replacement unit for the latter type fixture.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a lotion dispenser and roll paper holder assembled inunitized cooperation; said dispenser comprising a substantiallyrectangular supply tank having top and bottom walls, front and backwalls, and two side walls, said front wall having a dispenser valvedisposed near the bottom portion thereof comprising a hand operableplunger and an underlying discharge spout, said top wall having near itsforward edge a removable cap covering an inlet for refilling purposes;said roll paper holder comprising a pair of side walls depending fromsaid tank and having bracket portions extending outwardly therefrom witha removable spindle disposed therebetween adapted to hold a roll ofabsorbent paper under said spout, said spindle being disposed below saidspout in a position such that a perpendicular line dropped from theapproximate center of said spout is at least tangent to the front edgeof said spindle.

2. The combination dispenser and holder of claim 1 in which said holderalso has a bottom wall and a back Wall, and said combination is providedwith a circumferential mounting flange extending around the side and topwalls of said tank and the sides and bottom of said paper holder, saidflange being spaced sufliciently inward from said front wall to permitaccess to said refilling inlet and being congruent with the front edgesof the side and bottom walls of said holder whereby the combinationdispenser and holder is suitable for recessed mounting in a buildingwall.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which a refill opening and removablecap therefore is provided in the top wall forward of said flange.

4. The combination dispenser and holder of claim 1 in which a mountingflange encircles the sides and top of said tank and extends downwardbelow said tank to form a back wall for said holder, said flange beinglocated on said tank so as to provide a rearwardly disposed tank portionof a size suitable for fitting into a wall opening normally provided forrecessed toilet roll holders. i

5. The combination of claim 4 in which a refill opening and removablecap therefore is provided in the top wall forward 'of said flange. I

, References Cited 1 r v NrTEDsT'ATEs PATENTS L;

171,093 12/1875 Bullock 118325 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner J. P.MCINTOSH, Assistant Examiner

